Compost Bins & Systems

Biobags™ are a great way to handle kitchen scraps. No more messy kitchen compost containers. These bags are biodegradable and can just be tossed into the compost pile.

Compost Tumbler systems make it easy to turn and aerate your compost pile. Just toss your kitchen and garden wastes in and give it a tumble.

Bin Systems such as the Easy-Open Composter are an easy and neat way to have a compost pile. Just through all our kitchen scraps and garden wastes in and let it do its thing. Typically this style of bin is made from recycled plastic and has lower doors to conveniently empty the compost as it is ready.

Although not necessary, products such as Compost Plus contain microorganisms nitrogen-rich nutrients to speed up the composting process.

Composting Resources

Composting at Wikipedia
An extensive resource on all aspects of composting.

The Compost Resource Page
This site is intended to serve as a hub of information for anyone interested in the various aspects of composting.  Includes general information, home composting, vermicomposting, large-scale composting, composting toilets, products/services and a forum.

Cornell University Composting Site
This website is maintained by the Cornell Waste Management Institute and provides access to a variety of composting educational materials and programs developed at Cornell University.

U.S. Environment Protection Agency Composting Site
Composting offers the obvious benefits of resource efficiency and creating a useful product from organic waste that would otherwise have been landfilled. On this web site, you will learn about the following:

• Basic Information – provides a general description of what compost is and which materials should and should not be composted.
• Where You Live – contains information about regional and state composting programs.
• Organic Materials – provides more detailed information about the specific materials good for composting.
• Frequent Questions – presents frequent questions about how and why you should compost.
• Laws/Statutes – discusses regulations for organics materials and composting facilities.
• Environmental Benefits – explains how composting benefits the environment.
• Science/Technology – discusses how the composting process works and the different methods of composting, such as creating your own composting pile
• Publications – contains a list of composting and related publications.

www.mastercomposter.com This site provides information on how to compost, how to use finished compost, the benefits of composting, what to compost, and many other topics related to home composting. You can compost with almost no effort or you can become an expert. The more you work at it, the faster you will produce finished compost. Use whatever level of effort is right for you.

Compost Guide at VegWeb.com
Covering articles on Fundatmentals, How to Compost, What to Compost, Composting Bins and Systems, Composting Resources and more.

Composting:  Journey to Forever Organic Garden
How to turn wastes into clean, healthy food, making compost, compost bin, composting indoors, worm composting, composting toilet, soil fertility

Victory garden vegetables

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” ~Margaret Mead

Victory Gardens were a concept started during the W.W. II era as a means to help with the food shortages created from the war. Nearly 20 million Americans grew Victory Gardens during this period producing up to 40% of all that was consumed.

It’s time to bring back the Victory Gardens for multiple reasons, we can all make a difference.

“Today our food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to table. The process of planting, fertilizing, processing, packaging, and transporting our food uses a great deal of energy and contributes to the cause of global warming.

“Planting a Victory Garden to fight global warming would reduce the amount of pollution your food contributes to global warming. Instead of traveling many miles from farm to table, your food would travel from your own garden to your table.

“Our current economic situation is other good reason to start a Victory Garden. Every time that food is shipped from the farm to the store and your table, gasoline is used. As gasoline prices rise, food costs rise.” ~ From: Revive the Victory Garden

Growing a garden offers many health benefits as well. Because of the long distance our food travels before reaching the stores and the time and procedures involved in processing and shipping, much of our food has lost its vital energy. Fresh grown and picked fruits and vegetables are full of vibrant energy which we absorb into our bodies, providing a higher nutritional value and goodness as well. If grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers, we are able to eliminate some of the toxic chemicals that enter our bodies through our food.

Taking the time to grow our own gardens is not only satisfying but reduces stress as well, just the connection with nature provides that. It really doesn’t take that much. Fruit, vegetable and herb plants can be grown in containers or mixed in with other plantings. Take the time to watch the following video… it’s amazing what CAN be accomplished!

HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION – Radical Change Taking Root

Like Victory Gardens of yesteryear, start your own homegrown revolution, grow your own food in your back or front yard — for more information visit the urban homesteaders at PathtoFreedom.com

Here are some great gardening resources:

• Richters Herbs: Offering a huge selection of Herb Plants, Seeds, More!
• Gardens Alive!
• Click here to order a Free Nature Hills Nursery Catalog
• Gardener’s Supply Company
• Herbkits.com- Indoor Herb Growing Kits
• Burgess Seed & Plant Co.
• Gurney’s Seed and Nursery

THIS IS THE WORLD’S FIRST GLOBAL ELECTION, BETWEEN EARTH AND GLOBAL WARMING.

On March 28 you can VOTE EARTH by switching off your lights for one hour.
Or you can vote global warming by leaving your lights on.

The results of the election are being presented at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. We want one billion votes for Earth, to tell world leaders that we have to take action against global warming.

With modern washing machines and detergents, washing your clothes in cold water gets them just as clean as washing in hot water but saves a lot of energy. With really tough loads, you can still make a difference by washing in warm but rinsing in cold. Not only an energy saver but washing clothes in cold water allows fabrics to retain their color and strength longer.

According to various sources on the internet, switching to cold water washing  could amount to a savings between $52 and $145 each year in water heating costs.

“Since 86 percent of the energy consumed by a washing machine goes to heating the water, one household can eliminate 1,600 pounds of annual carbon dioxide emissions by washing in cold.” (Sierra Club Magazine)

Number 1 Code – Polyethylene Terephthalate, PETE

Figure 1. Symbol for PETE plastics

Name of Plastic – Polyethylene Terephthalate, PET or PETE
Description – PET or PETE is a clear, tough plastic commonly used as single use bottled beverage containers. It is easily recycled, inexpensive, lightweight and poses a low risk of leaching breakdown byproducts into the environment. It is in high demand for remanufacturers but recycling rates are only around 20%. Can also be used as a fibre.
Recycling Method – Collected through most curbside recycling programs
Virgin Plastic Uses – Soft drink, water and plastic beer bottles, pillow, quilt and sleeping bag fillings, food containers.
Recycled Plastic Uses – Polar fleece, packaging film, carpets, tote bags, furniture, building materials like paneling and occasionally new containers.

Number 2 Code – High Density Polyethylene, HDPE

Figure 2. Symbol for HDPE plastics

Name of Plastic – High Density Polyethylene, HDPE
Description – HDPE is a readily recyclable, versatile plastic commonly used for packaging. It is usually white or coloured and poses a low risk of leaching.
Recycling Method – Collected through most curbside recycling programs. Some programs only allow containers with necks.
Virgin Plastic Uses – Some garbage and shopping bags, milk and cream bottles, bleach, detergent and household cleaner bottles, motor oil containers, butter containers, yoghurt tubs, milk crates, rubbish bins, pipes and moulded products.
Recycled Plastic Uses – Oil bottles, recycling containers, drainage pipes, floor tiles, synthetic timber, fencing, laundry detergent bottles.

Number 3 Code – Polyvinyl Chloride, PVC

Figure 3. Symbol for PVC plastics

Name of Plastic – Polyvinyl Chloride, PVC
Description – PVC can be either a hard and rigid plastic or flexible and elastic plastic. It can be clear, white or coloured. PVC is a tough polymer and weathers well so is commonly used for siding, pipes and other building materials. PVC contains chlorine so should never be burnt as bruing will release toxic chemicals. The manufacture of PVC can release dangerous dioxins.
Recycling Method – Rarely recycled. May be accepted by synthetic timber or plastic timber makers.
Virgin Plastic Uses – Cleaning product and detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, food packaging, wire conduit, medical equipment, pipes and fittings, siding and hoses.
Recycled Plastic Uses – Pipe and fittings, decks, paneling, truck mudflaps, drainage mats and flooring, speed bumps, mats and shoes.

Number 4 Code – Low Density Polyethylene, LDPE

Figure 4. Symbol for LDPE plastics

Name of Plastic – Low Density Polyethylene, LDPE
Description – LDPE is a soft, flexible plastic
Recycling Method – LDPE is not often recycled through curbside programs. Many stores have programs that allow for plastic shopping bags to be returned to the store for recycling.
Virgin Plastic Uses – Squeezable bottles, shopping bags, food bags like bread and frozen food bags, dry cleaning bags, clothing, carpet, garbage bags, black plastic sheeting, ice cream container lids
Recycled Plastic Uses – Trash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling, lumber, landscaping ties, floor tile Film for builders, industry, packaging and plant nurseries, bags, agricultural piping

Number 5 Code – Polypropylene, PP

Figure 5. Symbol for PP plastics

Name of Plastic – Polypropylene, PP
Description – Polypropylene is a hard, flexible plastic that has a high melting point and is suited for high temperature applications like holding hot liquids
Recycling Method – Collected through some curbside recycling programs.
Virgin Plastic Uses – Ice cream containers, drinking straws, lunch boxes, potato crisp bags
Recycled Plastic Uses – Brooms, brushes, rakes, compost bins, recycling crates, plant pots, motor vehicle parts

Number 6 Code – Polystyrene, PS

Figure 6. Symbol for PS plastics

Name of Plastic – Polystyrene, PS
Description – Polystyrene may be either a rigid, brittle plastic or made into foam products. Evidence suggests that polystyrene can leach toxins into food.
Recycling Method – Collected through some curbside recycling programs.
Virgin Plastic Uses – Imitation crystal glassware, plastic cutlery, takeaway food containers, hot drink cups, meat trays, egg cartons, CD cases
Recycled Plastic Uses – Insulation, packing materials, rulers, office equipment, clothes pegs, coat hangers, light switches, air conditioning vents

Number 7 Code – Other

Figure 7. Symbol for other plastics

Name of Plastic – All other plastics
Description – Number 7 plastics simply icludes all other plastics. These include compostable and biodegradable plastics like polyactide through to acrylic, nylon and polycarbonate.
Recycling Method – Traditionally not recycled but now being collected through some curbside recycling programs.
Virgin Plastic Uses – Water bottles, CDs and DVDs, bullet-proof materials, sunglasses, telephone, MP3 player and computer cases, signs and displays, clothing
Recycled Plastic Uses – Plastic timber, outdoor furniture, pipes, injection moulded products

Source: AZoCleantech

Phantom Load

“Standby power, also called vampire power, phantom load, or leaking electricity, refers to the electric power consumed by electronic appliances while they are switched off or in a standby mode. A very common “electricity vampire” is a power adapter which has no power-off switch. Some such devices offer remote controls and digital clock features to the user, while other devices, such as power adapters for laptop computers and other electronic devices, consume power without offering any features.” from Wikipedia

Devices and functions that can consume standby power:

• Power supplies, transformers and inefficient electronic devices.
• VCRs, DVD players and some audio systems.
• TVs
• Microwave ovens
• Computers, digital monitors and printers
• Air conditioning systems with remote control.
• Devices with “Instant on” functions, with remote control receivers, or waiting for the user to interact.
• Devices with a stand-by light or clock.
• Power adapters and chargers such as for iPods, cell phones, and cameras, whether they are powering a device or not.
• Some home video game consoles (e.g. Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 & Sony PlayStation 3)

From the US department of Energy:

“Many appliances continue to draw a small amount of power when they are switched off. These “phantom” loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.”

“Alan Meier, a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in Berkeley, noted that many household appliances are never fully switched off, but spend most of the time in a standby mode. His 1998 study estimated that standby power consumption accounted for approximately 5% of total residential electricity consumption in America, “adding up to more than $3 billion in annual energy costs”. According to America’s Department of Energy, national residential electricity consumption in 2004 was 1.29 billion megawatt hours (MWh)-5% of which is 64m MWh. The wasted energy, in other words, is equivalent to the output of 18 typical power stations. His 2000 study showed that standby power accounted for around 10% of household power-consumption.”

Unplug and reduce your electrical consumption.

“The promise of tomorrow
Depends upon the way
We honor all the blessings
That are ours today.
Can we hear the voices of
The children yet unborn?
Do they call to us with gratitude,
Or do we hear their scorn?
Are we so wrapped up in taking
That we forget to give?
Wasting every resource that
Allows the future to live.
Have we killed the promise
Of tomorrows yet to be?
Or will we stop the plunder
Of our greed’s insanity?
The children of the future,
Sing out in the night.
Their song asks for mercy,
A release from their plight.
We can make a difference,
We can show we care,
By honoring all the blessings
Of fire, water, earth, and air.”

~ Earth Medicine: Ancestor’s Ways of Harmony for Many Moonsby Jamie Sams

Bold solutions from the green economy are the antidote to the broken economy—and can repair the damage and create a world that works for all.

Everyone now understands that the economy is broken. What our members and readers have known for years— that the economy is not working for people and the planet—is now playing out on Wall Street and Main Street every day.

While many name the mortgage and credit-default-swap crises as culprits, they are only the most recent results of an economy with fatal design flaws. These design defects range from a dependence on growth, consumerism, and the structure of money to the short-term focus of today’s markets, and policy goals that are focused on growing Gross National Product. Yet, when GNP growth includes a whole set of “bads”—from sweatshop labor to manufacturing toxic chemicals—every dollar of GNP growth actually reduces wellbeing for people and the planet.

Taken together, these fatal flaws systematically create economic injustice, poverty, and environmental crises.

It doesn’t have to be that way. The green economy offers solutions that are the antidote to the current breakdown.

Green America members have been trailblazers for green economic solutions for years. We now have a teachable moment to be bold in stepping up with these solutions for long-term change toward sustainability—and helping people through tough times. Now these green economy solutions are more important than ever.

Simply put, we need to move from greed to green.

Here are seven green economy solutions to today’s economic mess.

1. Green Energy—Green Jobs
A crucial starting place to rejuvenate our economy is to focus on energy—for the sake of the economy and the environment. It is time to call in the superheroes of the green energy revolution—energy efficiency, solar and wind power, and plug-in hybrids—and put their synergies to work with rapid, largescale deployment. This is a powerful way to jumpstart the economy, energy independence, job creation (with jobs that can’t be outsourced), and the victory over the climate crisis. The five green-energy keys are rapid, large-scale deployment of:

• Energy efficiency—moving toward 50 percent savings in five years.
• Solar and wind—getting to an all-renewable electric grid.
• Plug-in electric hybrid vehicles (PHEVs)—getting to at least 20 percent of the US vehicle fleet in ten years.
• Smart grid—rebuilding our aging electric grid with a smart grid that makes it easy to scale up energy efficiency and renewables.
• New national and state electric utility regulation and building codes that make it easy to scale up with efficiency, renewables, and PHEVs.

This year, Green America is launching Project LEAP—our Low-carbon Energy Acceleration Plan—to show how to combine these superheroes for real economic prosperity, energy security, and 80–90 percent greenhouse gas reduction. We shared this with our allies on President Obama’s incoming team (along with our idea for the financing mechanism; see #2 below). But you don’t have to wait for Washington—use Green America resources to get started today:

• Guide to Efficiency First!
• Solar how-to articles, and interviews with the solar leaders of our Green Busienss Network™
• Solar High Impact National Energy (SHINE) Plan. [PDF]
• Utility Solar Assessment (USA) Study. [PDF]

2. Clean Energy Victory Bonds
How are we going to pay for this green energy revolution? Green America and our allies at Clean Edge propose Clean Energy Victory Bonds. Modeled after victory bonds in World War II, Americans would buy these bonds from the federal government to invest in large-scale deployment of green energy projects, with particular emphasis in low-income communities that are hardest hit by the broken economy. These would be long-term bonds, which would pay an annual interest rate, based in part on the energy and energy savings that the bonds generate. During WWII, Americans bought over $185 billion in bonds—that would be almost $2 trillion in today’s dollars.

Millions of people are looking for a way to help the country right now. During the townhall- style presidential debate, one person posed this question to the then-candidates: “What would you ask us to do?”

Green America’s answer: Invest in Clean Energy Victory Bonds so our country can start building the clean-energy infrastructure and get people to work in good, green jobs, right now.

Sign up for the Green America e-newsletter to help advance these and our other green energy policy measures all year long.

3. Reduce, Reuse, Rethink
Living lightly on the Earth, saving resources and money, reducing inequality, and sharing —jobs, property, ideas, and opportunities—are the principles crucial to restructuring our economy. This economic breakdown is, in part, due to living beyond our means—as a nation and, in too many cases, as individuals. With the enormous national and consumer debt weighing us down, we won’t be able to spend our way out of this economic problem. From planting gardens to conserving energy to swapping clothes to making gifts—these green economy basics will help us move to an economy that works for all.

As Dr. Juliet Schor, economist and author, puts it, “We’ve lost the ability to profitably … grow our way out of recession. The usual kinds of consumer spending (cars, electronics, furniture, apparel, travel) degrade vital eco-systems and have an economic cost. Business-as-usual puts us deeper into an economic hole.”

Ultimately, we need an economy that’s not dependent on growth and consumerism. So it’s time to rethink living over-consumptive lifestyles, and turn to the principles of elegant simplicity—what Green Americans have known all along.

4. Go Green, Fair Trade, and Local
When we do buy, it is essential that those purchases shift from the conventional economy to the green and local economy—so that every dollar helps solve social and environmental problems, not create them. What we spend our money on—and refuse to buy—does matter. Expanding the green economy is fundamental to the transition to an economy that works for people and the planet. Moving dollars away from conventional agribusiness and toward supporting local workers and local, organic farmers creates more justice and sustainability.

Use the National Green Pages™ to make as many of your purchases as possible from the green economy. Turn to Green America all year long for ways to be intentional with your money—to help create a better economy with the choices you make every day.

5. Community Investing
All over the county, community investing banks, credit unions, and loan funds that serve hardhit communities are strong, while the biggest banks—from Washington Mutual to CitiGroup —required bailouts. The basic principles of community investing keep the community investing institutions strong: Lenders and borrowers know each other. Lenders invest in the success of their borrowers—with training and technical assistance along with loans. And the people who provide the capital to the lenders expect reasonable, not speculative, rates of return. If all banks followed these principles, the economy wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in today.

You can provide capital to community investing banks and credit unions—it’s as easy as opening a federally insured account. Check out the community investing section of our Web site to get started.

6. Shareowner Activism
When you own stock, you are a shareowner and have the right and responsibility to advise management to clean up its act. Had General Motors listened to its activist shareholders, it would have invested in the efficient and electric cars that would have prevented the need for a bailout from bankruptcy. Had CitiGroup listened to its activist shareowners, it would have steered clear of the faulty mortgage practices that brought it to its knees. Activist shareholders are key to reforming companies—from jumpstarting them on the energy revolution to addressing executive compensation to stopping the corruption created by corporate lobbying—for the transition to the new economy. Let’s up the ante.

7. Building Community
“Whatever the problem,” says Dr. Lynnaea Lumbard, psychologist and interfaith minister, “community is the answer.” Connected, resilient communities help people get through tough times—and celebrate during good times. Now is the time to get started. Get to know your neighbors. Do a neighborhood skills inventory—so people can help each other fix their roofs, repair their bikes, mend a torn coat—saving money and building community. Plan a community garden, a neighborhood garage sale, or clothing swap. Start a dinner or home improvement co-op. (Get more ideas and learn more here.)

The Time is Now
It looks like we have a huge opportunity on our hands—a global economic breakdown that is teaching us that we are all interdependent. There’s no “there” to escape to, so we all might as well figure out how to live together —and transition our economy to one that protects vulnerable people and our vulnerable planet. Stay tuned to Real Green all year long. We look forward to working with you on turning today’s problems into opportunities for a more just, sustainable, and joyful world.

—Alisa Gravitz

“Taking care of ourselves is a contribution we can all make. It can only help the whole if the parts of that whole are healthy, happy, and functioning in top form. Our well-being can be our greatest gift to humanity.

“But sometimes we get confused about what it means to take care of ourselves, to focus on our true well-being. It doesn’t mean being selfish or inconsiderate, or indulging our every wish and whim. It does mean concentrating on our health, safety, and security, and respecting and caring for our body, mind, emotions, and spirit. This gives the world one more person with enough self-love to love other people, animals, green life, the earth, and the universe.”

Green Spirituality: Reflections on Belonging to a World Beyond Myself ~ Veronica Ray

• Treehugger.com has it all. TreeHugger is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Partial to a modern aesthetic, we strive to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information. At TreeHugger we know that variety is the spice of life, so you can find all you need to go green in our up to the minute blog, weekly and daily newsletters, weekly video segments, weekly radio show and our user-generated blog, Hugg.
• The Green Guide. National Geographic GREEN GUIDE makes living in an environmentally aware way personal, practical and positive. Intended for general consumers, GREEN GUIDE shows people how to make small changes that add up to big benefits for their wallets, for their health, and, of course, for the health of the planet. Not political or activist, the GREEN GUIDE is chock full of simple, useful ideas broken down into achievable steps that make going green a gradual and affordable process rather than an all-or-nothing plunge.
• Yahoo Green – News, Blogs and Tools for Living Green.